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¶ Then Job answered and said,

I know it is so of a truth, but how shall a man be justified with God?

If he desires to contend with him, he will not be able to answer him one thing of a thousand.

He is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has hardened himself against him and remained in peace?

Who uproots the mountains in his anger, and they know not who overturned them.

Who removes the earth out of her place and causes her pillars to tremble.

Who commands the sun, and it rises not; and seals up the stars.

He alone extends the heavens and walks upon the waves of the sea.

He who made Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the secret places of the south.

10 He who does great things past finding out, and wonders without number.

11 Behold, he shall pass before me, and I shall not see him; and he shall pass on, and I shall not understand him.

12 Behold, he shall take away, who can cause him to restore? Who shall say unto him, What doest thou?

13 God will not withdraw his anger, and under him those who help, unto pride are bent over.

14 ¶ How much less shall I answer him and choose out my words to reason with him?

15 Who even though I am righteous, yet I would not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.

16 Who if I were to invoke him, and he answered me; yet I would not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.

17 For he has broken me with a tempest and has multiplied my wounds without cause.

18 He will not suffer me to take my breath but has filled me with bitterness.

19 If we were to speak of his strength, he is certainly strong; and if of his judgment, who shall cause us to meet?

20 If I justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, he shall prove me perverse.

21 If I say I am imperfect, I know not my soul; I would condemn my life.

22 ¶ One thing remains, that I say, He consumes the perfect and the wicked.

23 If it is the scourge, it slays suddenly, and it does not laugh at the trial of the innocent.

24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the faces of its judges; if it is not he who does this then, who is it and where is he?

25 ¶ Now my days are swifter than a post; they fled away, they never saw good.

26 They are passed away as the ships of Ebeh {Heb. reed} as the eagle that throws himself on the prey.

27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness and comfort myself;

28 I am afraid of all my troubles; I know that thou wilt not hold me guiltless.

29 If I am wicked, why then shall I toil in vain?

30 If I wash myself with snow water and make my hands never so clean;

31 yet thou shalt plunge me into the pit, and my own clothes shall abhor me.

32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together unto judgment.

33 Neither is there any arbiter between us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

34 Let him take his tormentor away from me, and his terror will not perturb me.

35 Then I would speak and not fear him, because in this state I am not myself.

Job

Then Job replied:

“Indeed, I know that this is true.
    But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?(A)
Though they wished to dispute with him,(B)
    they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.(C)
His wisdom(D) is profound, his power is vast.(E)
    Who has resisted(F) him and come out unscathed?(G)
He moves mountains(H) without their knowing it
    and overturns them in his anger.(I)
He shakes the earth(J) from its place
    and makes its pillars tremble.(K)
He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;(L)
    he seals off the light of the stars.(M)
He alone stretches out the heavens(N)
    and treads on the waves of the sea.(O)
He is the Maker(P) of the Bear[a] and Orion,
    the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.(Q)
10 He performs wonders(R) that cannot be fathomed,
    miracles that cannot be counted.(S)
11 When he passes me, I cannot see him;
    when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.(T)
12 If he snatches away, who can stop him?(U)
    Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’(V)
13 God does not restrain his anger;(W)
    even the cohorts of Rahab(X) cowered at his feet.

14 “How then can I dispute with him?
    How can I find words to argue with him?(Y)
15 Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;(Z)
    I could only plead(AA) with my Judge(AB) for mercy.(AC)
16 Even if I summoned him and he responded,
    I do not believe he would give me a hearing.(AD)
17 He would crush me(AE) with a storm(AF)
    and multiply(AG) my wounds for no reason.(AH)
18 He would not let me catch my breath
    but would overwhelm me with misery.(AI)
19 If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!(AJ)
    And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him[b]?(AK)
20 Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;
    if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.(AL)

21 “Although I am blameless,(AM)
    I have no concern for myself;(AN)
    I despise my own life.(AO)
22 It is all the same; that is why I say,
    ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’(AP)
23 When a scourge(AQ) brings sudden death,
    he mocks the despair of the innocent.(AR)
24 When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,(AS)
    he blindfolds its judges.(AT)
    If it is not he, then who is it?(AU)

25 “My days are swifter than a runner;(AV)
    they fly away without a glimpse of joy.(AW)
26 They skim past(AX) like boats of papyrus,(AY)
    like eagles swooping down on their prey.(AZ)
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,(BA)
    I will change my expression, and smile,’
28 I still dread(BB) all my sufferings,
    for I know you will not hold me innocent.(BC)
29 Since I am already found guilty,
    why should I struggle in vain?(BD)
30 Even if I washed myself with soap(BE)
    and my hands(BF) with cleansing powder,(BG)
31 you would plunge me into a slime pit(BH)
    so that even my clothes would detest me.(BI)

32 “He is not a mere mortal(BJ) like me that I might answer him,(BK)
    that we might confront each other in court.(BL)
33 If only there were someone to mediate between us,(BM)
    someone to bring us together,(BN)
34 someone to remove God’s rod from me,(BO)
    so that his terror would frighten me no more.(BP)
35 Then I would speak up without fear of him,(BQ)
    but as it now stands with me, I cannot.(BR)

Footnotes

  1. Job 9:9 Or of Leo
  2. Job 9:19 See Septuagint; Hebrew me.